Seo Jun-ho sat on a folding chair in the training room. The Frost Queen was staring down at him.
âCarve the sight of my power into your mind.â
âGladly.â
As she summoned her power, the temperature of the room dropped. She spread her small hands.
Crackle! Dozens of ice spears shot up from the ground.
Seo Jun-ho couldnât even dream of doing that with his current level of magic. But he only watched more attentively.
This wonât be all.
He was right. Dozens of ice arrows formed in the air, and a shield formed near the ceiling. As it fell to the ground, walls were raised.
âYou could wage a war all by yourself.â With this, she could have easily killed a hundred dark elves. But his judgement was anticlimactic.
âNot bad.â
âWh-what? Are you suggesting that this is merely ânot badâ?â She started to throw a fit, complaining that she was greatly weakened because she was a spirit.
âThatâs none of my concern. Itâs a little sloppy, and even I can make all this.â
âNonsense! Watch carefully.â As she raised her hand, the weapons appeared in front of him. Seo Jun-ho inspected them carefully.
The quality is a lot better than what I can make.
The ice spears and arrows he made were rough imitations, but the Frost Queenâs were masterfully crafted to be as dangerous as possible.
Each arrow and speartip have three edges. If you were hit with one of them, it would be dangerous to pull it out because doing so would give another injury.
The same was true for the shields; they were designed to disperse impacts as much as possible.
âThe quality of your weapons is much better than mine, but mine are lethal too.â It would be nice to create weapons of her designs, but he was fine even without them. âAnd if I focus on improving my designs, Iâll get better eventually.â
He went straight to the point. âWhat I want from you is something that I canât do.â
ââŠSomething you canât do, you say.â The Frost Queen stroked her chin for a moment drawing out her power again. âPerhaps something like this will do.â
âWhat is it? Show me.â
Seo Jun-ho didnât expect much, but the spectacle made him knock his chair over. He started to clap.
âTh-this is it! Yes, this is what I wanted!â
* * *
Reaper Scans
Translator â Castor
Proofreader â yukitokata
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* * *
Shim Deok-gu finished his business and went to his office. He greeted the man who was using his office like it was his own room.
âIâm so busy these days.â
âWhat did you think a President did?â Shim Deok-gu raised an eyebrow at Seo Jun-hoâs unenthusiastic answer.
âAnd whose fault is it that Iâm busy?â
âThe heck. Youâre not gonna say itâs because of me, are you?â
âSo youâre aware! It is because of you!â
If an Association Player was doing well, it was only natural that the rest of the Association got busy. Commissioners from all over the world would send emails, call in, or come in person. And when something as important as this happened, Deok-gu sometimes had to go on business trips. These days, he often thought that it would be nice if he had ten bodies.
âYeah, yeah, Iâm sorry. Iâll try my best not to stand out from now on.â
âBastardâŠâ
âAlright. Iâll stop joking.â Seo Jun-ho quickly changed the subject. âLet me ask you something. Do you know what the Frost Queen looks like?â
âWhat? Why would I?â Shim Deok-gu placed his briefcase down on his desk and hung up his coat. He looked at Seo Jun-ho with a strange look in his eyes. âOnly the Five Heroes saw her. Actually, you were the only one that went up to the 2nd floor of the Nest.â
ââŠReally? I see.â Seo Jun-ho stroked his chin and looked to the side. âThen I suppose it wonât be a huge problem.â
âProblem? What problem?â
Seo Jun-ho looked at the air at his side. âYou can show yourself now.â
âWho are you talkingâAhhhhhh!â Shim Deok-gu let out a sudden scream. He had always been scared of ghosts as a child. He shrank away to his wall, pointing a trembling finger.
âHey! N-next to youâŠâ
âWhatâs next to me?â
âA-a girl. A tiny girlâŠâ
The little ghost girl spoke with pity. âIs that shaking human your friend?â
âUnfortunately, yes.â
ââŠâŠ??â
âIsnât that⊠a ghost?â
âGhost, my ass. You look a lot scarier than her, you know?â To be honest, the Frost Queen was beautiful and elegant.
Deok-gu carefully took a seat, still wary. He belatedly realized his predicament and blushed.
âHey, anyone would be scared if something like that appeared all of a sudden.â
ââSomething like thatâ? Contractor. Did that human just call me a âsomethingâ?â
âI think so.â
âHow bold.â She spoke with a chilling voice as she forced the temperature to drop.
âStop.â Seo Jun-ho cut her off. âDonât bother my friend. You remember the conditions of our contract, right?â He warned.
ââŠHmph, if he addresses me like that again, I will not forgive him even if heâs your friend.â
âHear that? This is the Queen, and everything is beneath her. Be careful when you speak.â
âQueen? What kind of queenâŠâ Deok-gu trailed off, his eyes widening. He remembered what Seo Jun-ho had just asked him. âThe⊠Frost Queen?â
âBingo. I knew youâd catch on.â As Seo Jun-ho replied casually, Shim Deok-gu stood up from his seat again. He loosened his necktie and pushed his hair back, pacing around the room while rubbing his forehead. The Frost Queen watched quietly.
âContractor, what is that human doing? He looks unstable.â
âI dunno, heâs probably trying to process your existence.â
âI see⊠You did not talk to me for the first two days either.â She seemed to understand and crossed her legs haughtily. Seo Jun-ho glanced at her.
âBut why do you keep sitting on my shoulder?â
âI like the view from here. The chair is firm, yet soft and comfortable.â
âItâs not a chair, itâs my shoulder.â
âIf I see it as a chair, then it is a chair.â
âUgh.â Seo Jun-ho knew better than to argue with her and shut his mouth.
âFine. Fine. Fine.â Deok-gu took a seat. He looked at the tiny Frost Queen. âSo let me get this straight. Thatâs⊠the Frost Queen.â
âYes. All the cold in this worldââ
âSimply put, sheâs the queen of some well-to-do ice kingdom. Thatâs what sheâs saying.â He cut her off.
ââŠâŠâ The Frost Queen looked at her contractor with distaste.
âThen, can you explain how this happened?â
âItâs simple.â
Heâd won the Egg at the Las Vegas auction. Then Rodomir had helped him hatch it after he had been defeated. Then, ta-dah! The Frost Queen had emerged from the Egg.
âHmâŠÂ Well, alright.â After listening to the story, Deok-gu was taking it surprisingly well. âYou have the biggest grudge toward her, and youâre fine with it. Iâm in no place to say anything.â
âSheâll be a big help in battle. Sheâs really strong.â
âStrong? Whatâs her spirit class?â
ââŠClass?â Seo Jun-hoâs eyes went wide. Deok-gu looked at him like he shouldâve known this.
âLesser, Low, Common, High, Arch. Thatâs how spirits are classified based on strength.â
âHow do I figure out her class then?â
âOnly she herself knowsâŠâ They both looked at the Frost Queen. She slowly looked up. Seo Jun-ho jostled his shoulder.
âHey, whatâs your class?â
âAhâDo not move the chair around!â
Seo Jun-ho ignored her and she eventually flew into the air, pouting. She crossed her arms and looked down on the two men.
âListen closely! I was a high and noble being from the moment I was born.â
âSo youâre an Arch spirit?â
âY-yesâŠâ
âI donât think so.â Her voice trembled under the lie. As Seo Jun-ho sent a knowing look to Deok-gu, she created a snowball and threw it at them.
âItâs extremely rude to ask about my class!â
It was the first time theyâd heard of such a rule. The two exchanged glances and nodded.
She was smart. Seo Jun-ho waved her off and changed the subject.
âAnyways, sheâs strong, so I want my next Gate to be super hard.â
âSuper hard? Youâve only ever done Uncleared Gates and Gates with powerful boss monstersâŠâ Deok-guâs face fell. âWait, are you talking about a 1-star Gate?â
âYou know I never insist on doing something that I canât do.â
ââŠThatâs true.â
Seo Jun-ho wasnât greedy when it came to Gates. He only ever attempted those that he knew he could clear. The only exception had been the Frost Queenâs Nest.
âI did see the report. They said that the Wild Forest was at the level of a 1-star.â
âI got a lot stronger after fighting that guy. I can clear a 1-star Gate on my own.â
âWell, if you say so. There are only three 1-star Gates in the world right now though.â
âIâve already decided where Iâm going.â Seo Jun-ho tapped on his Vita, and a world map popped up in front of them. âThereâs one in South America, one in ChinaâŠâ
Deok-gu pointed at the bottom of the map and Seo Jun-ho zoomed in. Deok-gu glanced at him.
âWill you⊠be alright?â
âIs there a reason I wouldnât be?â
âWell, you know. Trauma existsâŠâ
âNah. Even if I were traumatized, the one who caused it will be right next to me.â He tapped on the map. âI already failed once, so this time Iâll succeed,â he said confidently.
It was an Uncleared Gate near the King Sejong Station.